Industry News: Student Travel Trends, Tourism in and out of America, and World Travel Market Anniversary

This week StudentUniverse released a study on the main reasons why students travel. The World Travel Market is celebrating its 35th anniversary, and statistics on inbound and outbound American tourism.

Student Travelers represent a key demographic in the travel industry. Companies like Bus2Alps have modeled their business around this demographic by understanding the needs of this demographic; needs that are evolving everyday. Student travelers are historically known as backpackers(backpacking is a form of low cost traveling.) or known to travel to have a good time. A report conducted by Skift and StudentUniverse entitled The State of Student Travel shows a change in the reasons why students travel. The study asks both male and female students age 18-24 “what are the chief goals during travel?"

The results show that the main reason both male and female students like to travel is to visit Historical and Cultural sites. An overwhelming number of them are not deterred from travelling if the destination has a limited nightlife. Destinations and companies alike will evolve have to evolve as well to keep up with this tricky demographic.

World Travel Market Celebrating 35 Anniversary

World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry is celebrating their 35th year from November 3-6 in London. The first ever World Travel Market took place in 1980 in Olympia. The event continues to grow each forcing event organizers to relocate it to its present city London. Last year World Travel Market recorded its highest ever participant level with more than 50,000 executives in attendance. World Travel Market is expecting that number to grow this year with more than 5,000 exhibitors representing 183 countries around the world.The event features a popular WTM Speed Networking Program, which offers exhibitors and WTM Buyers Club members the opportunity for quick meetings to aid the signing of business deals. it is estimated that around £2.5 billion worth of industry deals will take place during the event. Take a look at this promotional video from World Travel Market that takes us on a trip down memory lane.

The U.S. Department of Commerce revised a forecast of expected international tourism to the United States this week. International tourism in the United States is expected to grow to 88.3 million annual visitors by 2019. To put that in perspective that is 18 million more than the record number of people who traveled to the states in 2013. In the short term view an expected 73.9 million people are expected to travel to the states and stay at least one night. Although China, Colombia India, and Brazil are growing and the numbers of tourists they send to the states is growing as well, the uptick in international tourism is catapulted by the usual suspects. The usual suspects being Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Here is a chart of the expected tourists numbers.

Its not only foreigners coming into the states, American citizens are travelling as well. The U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office released monthly statistics this week, and it shows that the number of U.S. citizens traveling abroad increased 10 percent to 40.2 million travelers in the first seven months of 2014. Europe and the Caribbean seem to be the most popular destination for Yankees with about 19 percent of all travel going to either Europe or the Caribbean. The Caribbean saw the biggest individual growth, up 13 percent to 822,000 travelers. Mexico despite the violence in the news is still a popular destination for American travelers with hotbed spots like Cozumel and Cancun. Just like inbound tourists, although Central American locations has made strides to attract American travelers, the American outbound travel landscape is similar to the inbound landscape in that Canada and Mexico hold the largest share of American Travelers.

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